


Fragile

by chelztoddbrooke



Category: NCIS
Genre: F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, post-episode
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-20
Updated: 2020-07-20
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:28:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,460
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25395391
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chelztoddbrooke/pseuds/chelztoddbrooke
Summary: “I’m not fragile, Gibbs,” she mumbled.“Never said you were, never thought you were,” he spoke against her hair.A little post ep fic for "Schooled"  Pre-Slibbs.
Relationships: Jethro Gibbs/Jacqueline "Jack" Sloane
Comments: 6
Kudos: 125





	Fragile

**Author's Note:**

> Like I said, I am diving straight in here. I have one more one shot I am work on and then I have an idea for a tiny series. Jack and Gibbs are such fun characters to play with, they have such great chemistry. Enjoy!

Jack grimaced as she downed the last swig of her long cold coffee. Faith had left some time ago. It could have been minutes or hours for all she knew. She just needed to collect herself before heading back into the world. With a sigh, she wiped at the tears still rolling down her face. She felt so raw, having laid herself bare twice in an many days and confronting a monster she’d thought she left behind her nearly thirty years ago.

“Ma’am, can I get you a refill? Or, erm, maybe call someone for you?” the waitress asked tentatively.

Embarrassment burned across Jack’s cheeks and down her neck. She’d overstayed her welcome and was drawing more attentions to herself than she’d like. She shook her head, declining the offer.

“I’m sorry, I’ll just be on my way,” she murmured, pushing out of her chair. She tucked her coat around herself and headed for the door.

* * *

“Jack,” she barely registered the voice before she felt the hand curl around her wrist. However, it was all a second too late, her right arm instinctively swinging around to connect with her would be assailant.

Luckily, Marine Corps reflexes deflected the blow into an open palm rather than letting it hit its intended target.

“Jesus, Gibbs! I nearly clobbered you,” Jack bit out.

“Looks like I wouldn’t be your first victim,” he noted, rubbing his thumb over her busted and bruised knuckles.

Jack narrowed her eyes at him and tugged her hand out of his grip. “What are you doing here? How did you even know where I was?”

Gibbs tilted his head in that enigmatic way he was prone to when someone asked a question he didn’t feel like answering. “Thought you could use a friend,” he said finally.

“A friend, maybe. Not a pig-headed chauvinist set on vengeance,” Jack snorted, turning on her heel towards her car. She still wasn’t thrilled by his flippant response to her confession the previous day.

“Said a friend, Jack,” Gibbs repeated, reaching out to catch her bicep. Jack’s dark eyes met his, reading his sincere intent. Her face crumpled and the tears started again. Gibbs hand came up to thumb them away. “Talk to me,” he urged.

“I had to tell her…”she paused, clearing her throat. “All of it. She said she already knew, read it on my face the other day.”

“Doesn’t make it easier,” he empathized. “C’mere,” he sighed, wrapping her up and tucking her tightly against his chest. She let out a shaky breath as she buried her face against the lapel of his coat.

“I’m not fragile, Gibbs,” she mumbled.

“Never said you were, never _thought_ you were,” he spoke against her hair. The word fragile never even entered Gibbs’ mind when he thought of Jack. She’d been a prisoner of war for nine months, forced to watch her team members’ executions one by one, all stemming from the effort to get her life back together after someone she trusted raped her. And yet she found a way to carry on and do so with warmth and light and no shortage of grace. She was probably one of the least fragile people he knew. If he was honest with himself, he wasn’t sure even he was that strong. Se at least worked to put her past behind her, he on the other hand… He shook off the thought.

“Let’s get out of here,” he added, grabbing her hand and leading her toward his truck.

* * *

Jack didn’t ask where he was taking her. She didn’t really care as long as he was going to be there. She was in no mood to be alone. While she did not like _feeling_ fragile, she did know she was beginning to fray at the seams under the toll of the past few days. She needed as safe place to piece herself back together before facing the world again, which was why she was grateful when the truck pulled into Gibbs’ driveway. It was where he was most comfortable and in turn gave him the ability to comfort others.

After shuffling her through the door, he peeled off her coat. Impulsively, she folded into him again. He held her for a moment, running comforting hands up and down her back.

“Upstairs. Find something comfortable. I’ll make coffee and start a fire.” He tilted his head towards the stairs. Jack nodded and followed his orders.

A cup of coffee sat steaming on the coffee table, awaiting her arrival as she made her way down the stairs almost twenty minutes later.

“Thought you got lost up there,” he smirked over the rim of his own mug.

“I couldn’t decide which of your fifty identical Marine Corps shirts to sport,” she quipped, tossing her arms out to model her choice. Gibbs gave her a long once over from top to bottom. She clearly washed her face and tossed her hair up before settling on a long-sleeved tee emblazoned with MARINES and a pair of black sweatpants that decidedly weren’t his.

“You chose well,” he commented after a pause that was just too long to be decent among friends.

Jack ducked her head to hide her blush and reached for her mug. She grimaced as the straight black coffee hit her tongue.

“Wanted to let you disgrace it yourself,” he chuckled, producing the canister of sugar from somewhere near his feet. Jack rolled her eyes before tipping a generous amount into her mug. “Feeling any better?” he asked.

She stared down into the brown liquid for a moment before meeting his eyes again and shaking her head. There was no sense in lying to him. Gibbs lifted his arm, inviting her back into his space. She gratefully accepted the offer, tucking her legs underneath her and curling into his chest. His fingers trailed up and down her spine as his lips glanced across her hairline. They settled into a companionable silence, watching the fire, and drinking their coffee.

“Wouldn’t have killed him, ya know,” Gibs spoke awhile later.

“Whatever you say Gunny,” she snorted. He gently jostled her with his shoulder.

“Mighta taken the opportunity to remind him how _fragile_ he is though, but it looks like you took care of that yourself,” his voice was full of mirth as he reached for her hand and took a better look at her knuckles. “Would love to see his face.”

“I got him good,” she mused, a dry laugh on her lips.

“That’s my girl,” he grinned, kissing her hair again

“Jackass tried to gaslight me, then tried to go after Faith. He had it coming,” Jack growled.

“Momma bear,” Gibbs teased.

“Says Pappa bear,” she returned, gently elbowing him in the side. She knew full well had Eliie come to him with the same story the perpetrator would be stone dead.

“Spade’s a spade,” he shrugged. Jack chuckled and settled back against him, shifting his hold on her hand, intertwining their fingers.

“If there is a silver lining to this, I think it brought Faith and I closer. I think she thinks of me as less of an incubator now,” Jack admitted.

She felt Gibbs laugh more than she heard it. “I doubt she thought of you like that.”

“No she thought of me as someone who abandoned her to move onto bigger and better things. If only she knew how that worked out,” she grumbled.

Gibbs felt the tension return to Jack’s frame. He brought his hand up to gently squeeze the back of her neck.

“Jack…” he drawled. The woman took three long breaths before speaking again.

“I know, I know.” She knew she was not responsible for what happened in Afghanistan, but the week’s event lent her to dramatics. “At least now, I think she understands. She knows that the best thing I could have done for her was let someone else raise her. Maybe now we can work towards some kind of relationship,” Jack continued, her tone wistful. 

“Don’t see why not,” Gibbs concurred, knowing her wanted that for Jack if that’s what made her happy.

“Well, now you have another one of my secrets to hold onto,” she sighed.

“They die with me,” he reminded her, speaking against her skin as he pressed yet another kiss to her forehead.

Jack felt heat flood her body. Not the hot spike of embarrassment she felt at the coffee shop, but instead the gooey warmth of affection. Someday, sooner rather than later, she hoped for more than forehead kisses. But right now, this was just what she needed. A friend who made her feel strong even at her most fragile. She released a long breath, letting her eyes fall closed as she sunk further into his embrace.


End file.
